Furniture frame attachment system

ABSTRACT

This invention is related to a knock down frame attachment system. The knock down frame attachment system includes a seating portion, a pair of side panels and a plurality of sets of mounting brackets. A set includes both a left and a right mounting bracket. A set of brackets are coupled to each side of the seating portion and to both side panels. Thus, two sets of brackets are required to attach a side panel to the seating portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a furniture frame attachment system forfurniture, and more particularly to a knock down frame attachment systemthat allows a furniture frame to be easily disassembled fortransportation.

Typical furniture in the industry generally is provided to the consumerin two forms, assembled and disassembled. Fully assembled furniture hasbecome increasingly expensive to produce due to the trend of companiesmanufacturing the furniture overseas and shipping to other destinationsfor sale. While rigid attachment and full assembly are necessary forstability during use, they greatly affect the size and the shape of thefurniture items during shipment. Disassembled furniture is alsoavailable and has a number of advantages including a decreased number offurniture components and decreased shipping costs, as disassembledfurniture may be packed more densely as compared with assembledfurniture. However, disassembled furniture comes with the drawback thatan unsophisticated consumer may have difficulty with the assembly.Additionally, knock down furniture frames may be manufactured overseas.These frames may then be shipped to an assembler or finisher, whoassembles the frames and performs any needed finish work on thefurniture. Again, the knock down frame provides lower shipping costs.However, any provided knock down frames must supply the necessarysupport and rigidity to the final furniture piece.

Thus, there remains a need for a system that allows for quick and easyassembly and disassembly of furniture items. More specifically, there isa need in the furniture industry for a system that allows furnitureitems to be easily disassembled for shipment to decrease the shippingdestination costs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide afurniture frame attachment system that allows for quick and easyassembly and disassembly of a furniture item.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a knock downframe attachment system that allows for quick and easy assembly anddisassembly of furniture items for ease of packing to reduce shippingdestination charges.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a knock down frameattachment system that allows for quick and easy assembly anddisassembly of furniture items. The knock down frame attachment systemincludes a first panel that is to be attached to a second panel and atleast two sets of mounting brackets. A set includes both a left and aright mounting bracket. A set of brackets is coupled to each of thefirst and second panels. Thus, two sets of brackets are required toattach the first and second panels.

In use, the assembly and disassembly of the frame using the attachmentsystem is performed with relative ease. To assemble the frame, the usersimply places the first and second panels in an orientation that alignsthe respective mounting brackets and slides the two panels towards eachother. The brackets on the panels engage each other in an interlockingfashion so that the two panels are secured together. To disassemble thesystem, the user simply separates the two panels with a pulling forcethat disengages the brackets.

Additional advantages, and novel features of the invention will be setforth in part in a description which follows, and in part will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following,or may be learned by practice of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of the specification andwhich are to be read in conjunction therewith, and in which likereference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a knock down frame attachment system inthe disassembled configuration;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, perspective view of left and right mountingbrackets with parts being broken away to show particular details ofconstruction;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a pair of side panels;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the seating portion of an illustrativeframe;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the knock down frame attachment systemof FIG. 1 in the assembled configuration;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the left mounting bracket; and

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the right mounting bracket;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings in greater detail and initially to FIG. 1, aframe for a chair is shown and designated generally by the numeral 10.Chair frame 10 includes a seating portion 12, a pair of side panels 14,16 and left and right mounting brackets 18, 20. As can be seen, theseating portion 12 serves both as a support for a seat cushion and abackrest. Seating portion 12 and side panels 14, 16 are well known inthe art. The invention is shown and discussed with respect to chairframe 10. It should be understood, however, that the invention isapplicable to attach any two vertically oriented frame members of apiece of furniture.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1, seating portion 12 broadly includes apair of L-shaped members 22, 24 and cross-support members 26, 28.L-shaped members 22, 24 further include a forward portion 30 and an aftportion 32. Cross-support members 26, 28 are fixably coupled betweenL-shaped members 22. Any suitable attachment mechanism could be used forcoupling cross-support members 26, 28 to L-shaped members 22, 24, suchas screws, bolts, pins or the like.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, side panels 14, 16 are generallyrectangular in nature with an outer edge 34 and an inner edge 36. Theinner edge 36 is also generally rectangular in nature and defines a void38. Side panels 14, 16 further include a forward section 40 and an aftsection 42.

As best illustrated in FIG. 1, left and right mounting brackets 18, 20are coupled to both the seating portion 12 and the side panels 14, 16,as will be described in more detail below. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, itwill be appreciated that left and right mounting brackets 18, 20 aremirror images of one another. As shown in FIG. 6, left mounting bracket18 broadly includes a mounting flange 44 and a tapered section 46.Mounting flange 44 abuts an end of tapered section 46. Mounting flange44 and tapered section 46 may be integral or formed from two pieces andattached by welding or any other suitable method. Left and rightmounting brackets 18, 20 may be formed from cast, bent or stamped steel,aluminum or any other suitable material having similar characteristics.

With continuing reference to FIG. 6, mounting flange 44 is generallyrectangular in nature with a plurality of apertures 48 defined thereinto facilitate attachment to the seating member 12 and side panels 14,16. As seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, tapered section 46 includes a raisedportion 50 and a mating surface 52. As stated above, mounting flange 44abuts an end of raised portion 50. Raised portion 50 is tapered alongits length and defines an angle of inclination 56 of the mating surface52. It will be appreciated that the angle of inclination 56 of both theleft and right mounting brackets 18, 20 are the same. Mating surface 52abuts the other end of raised portion 50. Mating surface 52 preferablycontains an aperture 54 at one end for attachment to the seating member12 and side panels 14, 16. Raised portion 50 and mating surface 52 maybe integrally formed. Alternatively, raised portion 50 may be rigidlycoupled to mating surface 52 along the length of raised portion 50, butis preferably formed from one piece of material.

As further shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, left and right mounting brackets 18,20 are coupled to side panels 14, 16. Any suitable attachment mechanismcould be used for coupling left and right mounting brackets 18, 20 toside panels 14, 16, such as screws, bolts, pins or the like.Specifically, left mounting bracket 18 is coupled to aft section 42 ofside panel 14 and forward section 40 of side panel 16. Further, rightmounting bracket 20 is coupled to forward section 40 of side panel 14and aft section 42 of side panel 16. As shown in FIG. 3, left and rightmounting brackets 18, 20 are oriented so that tapered section 46 isfacing inwardly and is tapered from top to bottom, the importance ofwhich will be described further below. More specifically, as shown inFIGS. 3 and 7, raised portion 50 defines an opening 58 between taperedsection 46 and side panels 16, 18. The mounting brackets are oriented onthe side panels so that opening 58 is at the top.

Also illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, left and right mounting brackets 18,20 are coupled to L-shaped members 22, 24 of seating portion 12. Anysuitable attachment mechanism could be used for coupling left and rightmounting brackets 18, 20 to L-shaped members 22, 24, such as screws,bolts, pins or the like. Specifically, brackets 18, 20 are coupled tothe lower portion of L-shaped members 22, 24. More specifically, leftmounting bracket 18 is coupled to the forward portion 30 of L-shapedmember 22 and the aft portion 32 of L-shaped member 24. As shown in FIG.4, right mounting bracket 20 is coupled to the forward portion 30 ofL-shaped member 24 and the aft portion 32 of L-shaped member 22. Leftand right mounting brackets 18, 20 are oriented so that tapered section46 is facing outwardly and is tapered from bottom to top, the importanceof which will be described further below. More specifically, thebrackets are oriented with the opening 58 at the bottom.

The assembly of the knock down frame attachment system is described withreference to FIGS. 1 and 5. FIG. 1 represents the knock down frameattachment system in the disassembled configuration while FIG. 5represents the knock down frame attachment system in the assembledconfiguration. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, left and right mountingbrackets 18, 20 on L-shaped member 22 are aligned with correspondingright and left mounting brackets 20, 18 on side panel 14. Similarly,right and left mounting brackets 20, 18 on L-shaped bracket 24 arealigned with corresponding left and right mounting brackets 18, 20 onside panel 16.

To engage the mounting brackets coupled to the seating portion 12 andside panels 14, 16, a user lowers seating portion 12 onto side panels14, 16 whereupon the mounting brackets 18, 20 on seating portion 12 areslidably engaged with mounting brackets 18, 20 on side panels 14, 16.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2, the mating surfaces 52 are substantiallyparallel when the corresponding left and right mounting brackets 18, 20are engaged. Once engaged the weight of the user creates an interlockingfit between mounting brackets 18, 20. Further, the surfaces of seatingportion 12 and side panels 14, 16 are substantially parallel when theknock down frame attachment system is assembled.

Also illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, mating surfaces 52 of left and rightmounting brackets 18, 20 on side panels 14, 16 project inwardly.Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, mating surfaces 52 of left andright mounting brackets 18, 20 on seating portion 12 project outwardly.It will be appreciated that the opposed orientation of the matingsurfaces 52 on the left and right mounting brackets 18, 20 prevent foreto aft movement of the seating portion 12 with respect to the sidepanels 14, 16. It will also be appreciated that an opposite orientationof the mating surfaces 52 of the left and right mounting brackets 18, 20with respect to the seating portion 12 and the side panels 14, 16 willaccomplish the same purpose.

The frame attachment system allows the frame to be shipped in anunassembled form, which reduces the overall costs of shipping.Additionally, the system is easy and intuitive to use.

The present invention has been described in relation to particularembodiments, which are intended in all respects to be illustrativerather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent tothose skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains withoutdeparting from its scope. The invention is described above in relationto a chair in which two side panels are attached to a central seatingframe. It should be understood from the above description that thebrackets described can be used to quickly couple two panels of anyfurniture frame together.

It will be seen from the foregoing that this invention is one welladapted to attain the ends and objects set forth above, and to attainother advantages, which are obvious and inherent in the device. It willbe understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utilityand may be employed without reference to other features andsubcombinations. This is contemplated by and within the scope of theclaims. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that thepresent invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown anddescribed hereinabove. Rather, all matter herein set forth or shown inthe accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and notlimiting.

1. An attachment system for assembling a frame comprising: a first framemember; a first set of mounting brackets coupled to the first framemember, the mounting brackets including a mounting flange and a taperedsection, the tapered section having a raised portion and a matingsurface; a second frame member; and a second set of mounting bracketscoupled to the second frame member, the mounting brackets including amounting flange and a tapered section, the tapered section having araised portion and a mating surface; wherein the first and second setsof mounting brackets are positioned on their respective frame members sothat the raised portions and the mating surfaces of the first set ofmounting brackets is aligned with the raised portions and the matingsurfaces of the second set of mounting brackets so that the brackets areslidably engagable to provide an interlocking fit.
 2. The attachmentsystem of claim 1, wherein the first and second sets of mountingbrackets include a left and a right mounting bracket.
 3. The attachmentsystem of claim 2, wherein the left and right mounting brackets aremirror images of one another.
 4. The attachment system of claim 3,wherein the mating surfaces on the first set of mounting bracketsproject outwardly.
 5. The attachment system of claim 4, wherein themating surfaces on the first set of mounting brackets taper from bottomto top.
 6. The attachment system of claim 5, wherein the mating surfaceson the second set of mounting brackets project inwardly.
 7. Theattachment system of claim 6, wherein the mating surfaces on the secondset of brackets taper from top to bottom.
 8. A frame attachment systemfor assembling furniture, comprising: a pair of side panels; a first setof mounting brackets coupled to each of said side panels; the mountingbrackets including a mounting flange and a tapered section, the taperedsection having a raised portion and a mating surface; a seat portionhaving first and second sides; and a second set of mounting bracketscoupled to each of the first and second sides of the seat portion; themounting brackets including a mounting flange and a tapered section, thetapered section having a raised portion and a mating surface; whereinthe first set of mounting brackets and second set of mounting bracketsare positioned on their respective frame members so that the raisedportions and the mating surfaces of the first set of mounting bracketsis aligned with the raised portions and the mating surfaces of thesecond set of mounting brackets so that the brackets are slidablyengagable to provide an interlocking fit.
 9. The frame attachment systemof claim 8, wherein the set of mounting brackets include a left and aright mounting bracket.
 10. The frame attachment system of claim 9,wherein the left and right mounting brackets are mirror images of oneanother.
 11. The frame attachment system of claim 10, wherein the matingsurfaces on the first set of mounting brackets project inwardly.
 12. Theframe attachment system of claim 11, wherein the mating surfaces on thefirst set of mounting brackets taper from top to bottom.
 13. The frameattachment system of claim 12, wherein the mating surfaces on the secondset of mounting brackets project outwardly.
 14. The frame attachmentsystem of claim 13, wherein the mating surfaces on the second set ofmounting brackets taper from bottom to top.
 15. A frame attachmentsystem for assembling furniture, comprising: a pair of side panels; afirst means for attaching said side panels coupled to each of said sidepanels; the attachment means including a mounting flange and a taperedsection, the tapered section having a raised portion and a matingsurface; a seat portion having first and second sides and a second meansfor attaching each of the first and second sides of the seat portion;the attachment means including a mounting flange and a tapered section,the tapered section having a raised portion and a mating surface;wherein the first attachment means and the second attachment means arepositioned where the mating surfaces are slidably engaged and whereinthe engagement of the first and second attachment means provide aninterlocking fit.
 16. The frame attachment system of claim 15, whereinthe attachment means include a left and a right mounting bracket. 17.The frame attachment system of claim 16, wherein the left and rightmounting brackets are mirror images of one another.
 18. The frameattachment system of claim 17, wherein the mating surfaces on firstattachment means project inwardly.
 19. The frame attachment system ofclaim 18, wherein the mating surfaces on first attachment means taperfrom top to bottom.
 20. The frame attachment system of claim 19, whereinthe mating surfaces on second attachment means project outwardly. 21.The frame attachment system of claim 20, wherein the mating surfaces onsecond attachment means taper from bottom to top.